Annapolis, MD (USA)

[my old boss, Chris, has been asking when I could come out to take a ride on his boat - the weather was great for that today, so I got up around 0700 and drove to Maryland - he lives near Crownsville, so I used the Beltway and US-50, almost all the way to Annapolis - I had made good time (thankfully) because then it got interesting: I could not find the entrance to his neighborhood (iPhone map troubles...) - I also didn't have a cell signal - ultimately, I located his home (0900) and (after accidentally waking up his daughters) his boat - we sat out on the water for about an hour, waiting on any family that might want to join us (one daughter, Bridget, did) - around 1030, we cast off and Chris drove us down the Severn River into Annapolis - it was another beautiful day and many other people were out on the water - we drove into little inlets all over town, checking out restaurants and million dollar homes as we went - our meal plans changed several times (Chris' daughter works at the Chart House but food there fell through) - eventually, we headed back north and tied up near the Severn Inn - when we went inside, it turned out they only offered a pricy brunch - but we were hungry and stayed anyway - food was awesome and the mimosas and bloody marys were "bottomless" - we had a great conversation before heading back to the boat - unfortunately, our lengthy delay led to some damage to the side of the boat (caused by large wakes in the area and the tide, I guess) - it was still driveable, so we headed back to the marina - I got to run a lot of lines out and tie off several times today (it has been a long time since I did that!) - afterwards, Chris and I hung out at the pier, enjoying the quiet - ultimately, though, the heat got to me and we took refuge in his house - I met the rest of his family before heading out of town - the drive home went well (not much traffic) - stopped at the high school track for some exercise again before calling it a day - fun!]